Stingy (Warriors 103, Blazers 88)

Jung once observed that “often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.” On Sunday night against the NBA’s highest scoring team, the Warriors’ didn’t think their way out of their recent defensive struggles. Instead, they used their hands (and their arms, feet, bulk and quickness). There was no radical strategic adjustment to get back on track. The Warriors just worked harder. That said, the coaching staff’s intellect will be tested soon enough in finding a way to capture that intensity every night — not just in statement games against back-to-back-weary opponents.

Put whatever qualifier on it you want, the Warriors’ smothering of the Blazers — 88 points on a season-low 33.7% shooting — was an impressive team-wide effort. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala paid extra attention to the Blazers’ shooters, rushing them off the three-point line. Andrew Bogut’s usual presence in the interior convinced them not to venture too far inside on penetration, leaving them to hoist up either guarded three-pointers or awkward mid-range looks. Lillard, Matthews and Batum combined for a miserable 11-34 night. Those numbers look good next to LaMarcus Aldridge’s 2-14 line from the field — due in large part to inspired defense by David Lee, gutting it out with one good arm.

The Warriors reserved their trend of giving up 35+ point first quarters, holding the Blazers to 22 points on 38% shooting. But the encouraging start was just a warm-up for what awaited the Blazers in the third quarter. For the first 8:22 of the third quarter, the Blazers scored a single field goal (and a total of 6 points). The Warriors unleashed a game-deciding 16-2 run, thanks in part to an intriguing tweak in Mark Jackson’s substitution pattern. Andrew Bogut received his usual run during the first 6 minutes of the quarter and helped force the Blazers to the perimeter. But when it came time to sub Bogut, Jackson didn’t go to his usual sixth man Harrison Barnes or typical big-man sub Marreese Speights — he inserted Draymond Green.

With Bogut out, the Blazers instinctively started to attack the basket. But Green, Iguodala and the rest of the Warriors were ready. Green repeatedly used his quickness to cut-off lanes to the basket and block shots. Iguodala and Curry patrolled the passing lanes to pick-off the re-set passes coming from frustrated penetration attempts. Off steals and Green-inhaled defensive rebounds, the Warriors picked up the pace offensively and found open-court looks. When the dust settled by the end of the quarter, the Warriors had held the Blazers to a 12-point quarter on 16% shooting and forced 7 turnovers.

It’s unclear why Jackson opted to substitute Green for Bogut. There could have been an injury motivation, with Bogut spending the rest of the second half stretching on the floor near the Warriors’ bench. The substitution could have been intended as a message to Speights, who had a miserable second-quarter run and didn’t see action again until late in the fourth when the game was decided. But whatever the reason, the variation in Jackson’s rotation produced immediate returns. Green’s unique combination of bulk and mobility allowed him to fight in the post for position on one possession and track Lillard’s penetration on the next. The Blazers were suckered into going small to match Green’s quickness. But with Lopez out, the Blazers lost one of their best offensive rebounders and had no one in the paint to suppress the Warriors’ penetration. Green cannon-balled into the middle of the third quarter, and the ripples from the splash he made spread throughout the rest of the game — even after he fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

Some scattered thoughts:

The Harrison Barnes confidence-restoration project is fine in theory, but his completely lifeless stretches are becoming a threat to the team. During his particularly ugly first-half stretch, the Warriors shed 10 points off their early lead. Barnes has been passive on offense and often seems oddly out of position on defense. His saving grace in the second half on Sunday was hitting the boards, but that’s not enough to justify minutes. When given the choice between playing Green or Barnes, it’s hard at this point to see any justification for choosing Barnes (other than Green fouling out). Green’s defense is superior, and his offense isn’t going to be any worse than Barnes’ has been as of late. Jackson has been trying to nurse Barnes back into meaningful minutes by keeping him in the rotation, but so far there has been no improvement. It may be time for Jackson to see if watching from the bench ignites any urgency in Barnes’ game.

The Stephen Curry-Damian Lillard rivalry is one of mutual respect, and hopefully one we’ll get to enjoy for years to come. In the most recent installment, Curry scored a clear win by forcing Lillard to defend dribble penetration. Curry repeatedly turned the corner on Lillard and got a clean lane to the rim. When Lillard and other Blazers started sagging off to stop Curry’s penetration, Curry started connecting from deep-but-open threes. It was a masterful inside-outside game from Curry, culminating in a series of knock-out blows late in the fourth quarter. After nearly a 5-minute rest to start the final quarter, Curry was more mobile and aggressive than usual in his final run.

Marreese Speights played 5 minutes. A single foul is the only mark he left on the box score. His impact on the game was unfortunately greater, as his weak defense helped the Blazers jump-start their second half run. While the majority of the Warriors upped their intensity, Speights remained flat. Jermaine O’Neal and Festus Ezeli can’t get healthy soon enough.

You can quibble over whether the Blazers are as good as their record, but there’s no debate that they’re a playoff-level team in the West. While everyone expected a shootout, it wasn’t the Warriors’ offense that secured the win. The Warriors shot 41.8% from the field, with only Curry and Bogut shooting about 50%. It was the defensive energy that lit the way to victory. Hopefully whatever energy source the team tapped into is renewable.